This week’s selection is “Sell Your Crafts Online: The Handmaker’s Guide to Selling from Etsy, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, Shopify and More” by James Dillehay.
Selling products is a practice an increasing number of individuals are taking up. This is particularly enhanced by use of 3D printing, which can create small quantities of objects.
For many years 3D print enthusiasts have put their own machines to work making “something” and then selling it. I’ve done this myself, and this work can easily offset the price of your 3D printer and materials. This is especially true these days, as the prices of quality 3D printers is much lower than in past years.
While 3D printer operators may have a good idea of something to make, and have the capability of designing and printing it, do you know the best and sustainable ways to sell the prints?
In many cases print sales are one-off encounters: “Hey, could you print me a few of these?” That can work, until it doesn’t. Then you’ll have to figure out new ways to find buyers and close sales.
Fortunately there are many online sales platforms, with perhaps the most popular spot being Etsy. That’s a sales platform catering to those making their own designs, and is an ideal match for 3D printer operators.
But how, exactly, do you go about selling on Etsy? Or any other online marketplace for that matter?
That’s what this book is all about.
The book begins with how to establish your own online business and brand, and then moves on to optimizing specific product types. Pricing is a key issue that many new sellers encounter, but it’s explained in this book.
There’s quite a bit of material on marketing, the practice of gaining recognition for your brand. While there’s plenty of competition, you have to take steps to become visible. That’s an essential step before anyone would consider a purchase. Basic SEO, advertising and more are covered.
The book covers not only Etsy, but also Amazon, Shopify, Facebook, Instagram and even Pinterest. All of these platforms have some mechanism for selling and they are slightly different and require different steps on behalf of the seller.
It’s also possible to sell from your very own website, and setting that up is covered as well.
If you have been 3D printing your own creative products you believe you could sell, then this book is where you could start to get a real business going.
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Via Amazon
